


Eclipse

by thekeyholder



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Related, Curses, M/M, Magic Revealed, Mythical Beings & Creatures, almost dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-26
Updated: 2013-01-29
Packaged: 2017-11-26 23:23:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/655521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekeyholder/pseuds/thekeyholder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur has to face some mysterious, dark creatures who were banished by his father, but who are back to seek revenge: “Your kingdom will lose the most important thing without which it can’t survive.” However, the worst part is that their spell puts Merlin in great danger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Keepers of Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this more than a year ago, but I thought I'd post it here too. It was my first Merlin/Arthur story, hope you enjoy it. Thanks to [blue_eyed_1987](http://blue-eyed-1987.livejournal.com/) for betaing it.

It was the end of summer and the peasants were inspecting their crops proudly, which seemed to be the richest in many years. Even though they had to give tithe to the king, they would remain with a lot more than in the previous years. If the weather continued to be sunny and spoiled only by a few showers of rain, their granaries would be full with grains. Their smiles were as bright as the Sun and cheerful songs filled the air.  
   
Meanwhile, King Arthur of Camelot was having the usual, weekly discussion with his loyal knights and councillors. It was a relatively calm period and Arthur – even though he had only been  king only for a couple of months – knew that he had to be grateful for it. He was about to dismiss the council when one of the knights made a remark:  
   
“Sire, this might not be important, but our messenger from the northern region still hasn’t returned. You ordered him to bring news from there and see if there are rumours of possible attacks.”  
   
“If he doesn’t return by noon tomorrow, send somebody else,” Arthur commanded and exited the council chamber with firm steps.  
 

 

* * * * *

   
A few days later, Merlin and Arthur were having their usual morning bicker.  
   
“Merlin, it’s true that pickled eggs are my favourite, but please, could you bring something else for breakfast? Have you ever heard of diversity?” Arthur huffed and looked askance at his manservant.  
   
“But how should I know what you wish to eat, my lord? I can’t read your mind,” Merlin answered back while picking up Arthur’s discarded clothes from the floor.  
   
“No need for the cheeky tone, Merlin. I’ve told you hundreds of times that I will cut out your sharp tongue,” the king threatened the young boy while stuffing his mouth.  
   
“Sire, I…”  
   
Merlin was interrupted by a hasty knock on the door. Sir Leon entered, his face showing concern.  
   
“I apologise for disturbing you, Sire, but the second messenger you sent to the northern border has just arrived. I think you should see him as soon as possible,” Sir Leon said and closed the door carefully.  
   
Merlin and his master looked at each other, the same thought flashing through their mind. It wasn’t in Sir Leon’s nature to be portentous, nor to exaggerate matters; therefore Arthur dressed quickly and, followed by Merlin, hurried to the council chambers. In the middle of the hall, a man was on his knees and sobbing quietly, surrounded by some of the knights who were trying to calm him and to find out what had happened to him.  
   
“I can’t say…I’m only allowed to reveal it to King Arthur,” the man whispered.  
   
“I’m here, therefore you’re free to talk now,” Arthur said and stepped up to the messenger.  
   
However, he was shocked to see that the poor man’s eyes were covered by something greyish which probably prevented him from seeing.  
   
“What happened to you?” Arthur asked concerned as Merlin kneeled in front of the messenger and inspected him.  
   
“I’m so sorry, my Lord; I tried to do everything in my power, but I failed. I arrived at the northern border very quickly, but I was surprised that I didn't come across any of your knights. I went along, hoping to meet them, until I arrived at the Cave of Tebras. It is a dark place indeed and I had a bad feeling, so I decided to go back, but suddenly, I heard a thunderous sound and I fainted.”  
   
The knights looked at each other worriedly and Arthur pressed the man to continue his account.  
   
“I woke up inside the cave, my lord. Then I saw…” the man paused for a minute to cry. “I saw some weird - nothing but skin and bones - creatures, wearing purple capes and floating around me, whispering words in a strange language. Their leader told me they were the _keepers of darkness_ and they only spared me to pass a message to you, my lord. They want you to go there.”  
   
“That’s all? They didn’t tell you anything else?” Arthur inquired, confused.  
   
“No, sir. After the leader told me this, he blew air on my eyes…and you can see what happened. Then I found myself on the horse and I prayed to arrive here as quickly as possible,” the man finished despondently.  
   
Arthur ordered the guards to take the man to Gaius; maybe the messenger’s eyes could still be saved. For Arthur it was clear what he had to do: setting out at dawn with his most loyal knights and Merlin to find these strange creatures, see what they wanted and most probably killing them in the end. When he shared his thoughts, however, he was surprised to find that his knights wanted to go alone, saying it was too dangerous for the king to accompany them. He didn’t even want to hear about that option, so he ordered the knights to pack and get ready for the trip.  
   
Merlin watched as Arthur walked with slumped shoulders to his room, feeling sorry for him. He was so young, but he had to carry a huge burden of responsibility with him. Arthur was a strong man, but could he do it alone? Moreover, he tended to keep himself to himself and not discuss his inner problems with anyone. Merlin knew that he wouldn’t be able to do that; his head would probably explode from the confusing thoughts. Therefore, he headed to Gaius to see if he could help the old man in any way.  
 

 

* * * * *

   
“Are you sure he said the keepers of darkness?” Gaius asked doubtingly while he looked at the books he possessed.  
   
“Absolutely,” Merlin replied without hesitation, “he even described them.”  
   
Gaius turned and sighed. “Unfortunately, I know what they look like. I just can’t believe they are back again.”  
   
“Again?” Merlin asked curiously.  
   
“Yes. Almost twenty-five years ago, when Uther was trying to erase magic from Camelot, among the last groups who resisted were the keepers of darkness. Their magic works best during the night and especially on nights with full moon. They are very dangerous because they possess the darkest magic you can imagine. I don’t think we would be talking now if Uther hadn’t banished them underground.” Gaius concluded, absorbed in his thoughts.  
   
“But there must be a way to defeat them! ” Merlin exclaimed, edgily leafing through a book, angry that Gaius wasn’t helping him. “How did Uther succeed?”  
   
“I’m afraid there isn’t anymore. It’s true that Uther banished them underground, never ever to see the light of day again, but there’s something that he had never found out. These keepers of darkness are so repulsive that even other magical creatures avoid them. They became so strong that the last twelve dragons decided to unite and defeat them. Now, you can imagine how powerful they are since the twelve dragons couldn’t extinct them completely. However, by the end of the battle when the dragons retreated, Uther’s army was able to banish the remaining, weakened keepers of darkness,” Gaius explained. “It seems they rebel against this decision now. Since we don’t have twelve dragons anymore, we can’t do anything. Merlin, you must be very careful; don’t let Arthur do anything foolish!” Gaius pleaded, shaking the warlock by his shoulders.  
   
“I’ll just do what I usually have to: save Arthur’s royal arse, again.” Merlin smiled to cheer up Gaius and headed to his master’s room.  
 

 

* * * * *

   
Merlin was folding Arthur’s shirts and was going through spells in his mind, desperate to find a weapon with which he could get rid of those awful keepers of darkness. He flinched when Arthur’s deep voice echoed in the silent chamber:  
   
“Merlin, you don’t have to come with us tomorrow. Just stay here…”  
   
The young boy looked at the king who was leaned against the headboard and staring at his crimson, silk bedsheets; his mind clearly somewhere else.  
   
“But Sire, my place is beside you. I wish to come with you,” Merlin affirmed dauntlessly and Arthur looked at him gratefully.  
   
“Very well then, but don’t you dare complain about anything!” Arthur jested as he got under the blankets. “Go and get some rest, Merlin.”  
   
Merlin blew out the candles and before exiting the chamber he looked back and whispered: “Sleep well, Sire!”


	2. No Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sad chapter ahead...plus something more.

A well-armed group left Camelot at the crack of dawn. Merlin tried to stay awake, but the rhythmical rocking of the horse lulled him to sleep. He hated waking up early; it made him grumpy and sleep-addled which also resulted in more mocking remarks from Arthur. However, this time, instead of soothing blackness, he had some muddled dreams. There was darkness and he couldn’t ignite the candles, while Arthur ranted and raved that he was an idiot who couldn’t even do such a small task. Merlin woke with a start which made the others laugh, while he blushed.

“Bad dreams, Merlin?” Arthur asked mockingly and pretended to cry like a little child. “We’re almost at the Cave of Tebras, so you can stay behind if you’re afraid.”

“I’m not afraid, I just don’t like this place. It oozes badness,” Merlin grimaced.

“Really? What makes you say that?” Arthur looked at his servant smirking.

“I don’t know, I just feel it in my bones,” Merlin replied honestly.

“That’s not a valid answer, cabbage head!” Arthur exclaimed, but before they could realise what was happening, the whole group passed out.

* * * * *

Arthur blinked a few times before he came to completely and remembered what happened. He wanted to spring to his feet in the obscure cave, but he panicked when he couldn’t move his limbs, as if invisible chains were keeping him there. A piercing scream left his mouth, and he discovered he could move his head at least. He turned his head to the left: the knights were lying around, still passed out. He turned to the right and a pair of hazy, bright blue eyes greeted him.

“I told you this place was dangerous,” Merlin whispered and closed his eyes, as if afraid of Arthur’s glare or scolding, but in fact was just sensing a shift in the air.

The cave suddenly seemed darker and more frightening for the simple reason that the keepers of darkness appeared and floated in a circle above the paralysed men.

“Arthur Pendragon…so you came,” one of the creatures whispered in a grim tone.

“I’m an honourable man, consequently I replied to your message. I just wish you played by the same rules; you shouldn’t have killed my guards and blinded my messenger!” Arthur replied impetuously.

“Tsk, tsk. You are as hot-headed as your father. But this time, the king shall be the one defeated,” the leader of the keepers affirmed.

“Camelot is still stronger than your magic! You shall rot underground until the end of time!” Arthur yelled confidently.

“We will not attack Camelot, Arthur Pendragon. We have a better plan,” the leader replied in his metallic voice. “Your father condemned us not to ever see the light of day; we have an equally terrifying curse for you. Your kingdom will lose the most important thing without which it can’t survive…and _nobody_ can do anything about it,” the creature looked at Merlin with its fathomless orbs and the young warlock understood the hidden message.

The keepers of darkness stood in a circle and started chanting a spell so powerful that Merlin felt each of his muscles seize and pain coursed through his body. He couldn’t even scream this time, they were all pined to the cold ground and forced to watch the ritual. The keepers of darkness slowly transformed into smoke and mingled into one huge ball of whirling greyness, then disappeared with a loud noise which shook the entire cave. Arthur realised that he was now free and they had to flee from there as huge rocks started falling around them. He, the knights and Merlin all managed to escape before the boulders would have entrapped them in the Cave of Tebras.

They were astonished to see that it was already dark, but since their horses were waiting for them, they got on and decided to go back to Camelot as soon as possible. Nobody opened their mouth; it seemed that if they start talking, an invisible monster would be unleashed upon them. However, everything seemed normal around them and after hours of safe travelling some of the knights stated that maybe the curse wasn’t successful because they couldn’t feel anything. Right in that moment, the clouds dissipated and the glorious sight of the full moon shining over the castle of Camelot greeted them.

The knights cheered and told Arthur that the world seemed as beautiful and peaceful as they left it while Merlin gasped inaudibly, a terrible pang besetting his heart. He had a bad feeling…

* * * * *

The next morning Arthur was woken up by loud noise coming from outside.

“What’s all this racket?” he mumbled into his pillow sleepily. “Merlin!”

The king was listening for the hasty steps he knew so well, expecting the surprised face of Merlin peeking into the room, but nothing happened. He started becoming angry and contemplated the prospect of sacking his manservant, when he finally looked out the window and saw the group of people in the court. Some were screaming, others were crying, most of them were just staring with a blank expression at the sky. Arthur became suspicious and he opened the window to have a look himself.

The sight made him gasp as well; he’d never seen anything like this. There was something, a black, globular object starting to cover the Sun. Eventually the sun would be fully covered which meant…Arthur suddenly remembered the promise the keeper of darkness whispered: _“Your kingdom will lose the most important thing without which it can’t survive.”_ Well, it was very clear now. If they had no sun, nothing would grow and people would slowly die of famine. Apocalyptic images flooded his mind and struck fear into his heart. The end of Camelot was fast approaching.

Even though the keepers of darkness said that nobody could do anything, the king dressed quickly and ran to the only man who might have a solution: Gaius. Arthur was about to open the door when it was suddenly flung open, Merlin running past him with an uncharacteristic speed for him while Gaius shouted after him to stop, his efforts in vain. Arthur was baffled for a minute before he recovered his composure and asked the physician what was happening.

“Nothing, my lord, Merlin just lost his mind!” Gaius exclaimed, upset.

“Did he ever have one?” Arthur mumbled, clearly dissatisfied with the answer.

“I’m sorry, Sire, but I need to go after him before he does something foolish!” Gaius said and was about to slip beside the king; however, the king was agile and blocked the old man’s way, swinging him back into the chamber.

He was decided not to let go Gaius unless he confessed what were they up to; Gaius never knew how to lie and it was undeniable that he was hushing up something.

“Does it have to do with the eclipse? Look, Gaius, I came to ask you about it. You have so many books; there must be something we could do…maybe if we go back to the Cave of Tebras and somehow kill  those awful creatures,” Arthur said, stepping up to the bookshelves and eying the heavy tomes while Gaius snuck closer to the door.  “Something, anything, I don’t want my people to die. Camelot must not perish!”

“I’m really sorry, my lord, but I’m afraid we can’t do anything,” Gaius replied and he quickly ran out and locked the door, leaving a baffled Arthur behind.

“Has everyone gone crazy today?!” the king cried out and hoped that he could break the door.

In the meantime, Gaius ran as fast as he could to the top of the castle, hoping that he could stop Merlin before Arthur or anybody else could see him. The guards who were supposed to survey the area were passed out on the ground and the physician dodged them. As he expected, Merlin was there, his hand reached out and shouting spells to slow the process of the eclipse.

“Merlin, you must stop! Arthur will be here in a couple of minutes!” Gaius shouted worriedly.

“I don’t care; if I don’t try out all the spells I know, we’re going to die anyway!” Merlin answered and stopped for a few moments to catch his breath.

The warlock yelled a spell and Gaius noticed that Merlin put his other hand to his heart and his face contorted in a painful grimace.

“Merlin, what’s wrong?” the physician asked, suspicion forming in his mind.

“I don’t know, Gaius, something weird is happening. Every time I try to cast a spell on the Sun I feel this ache in my heart and every time it becomes more and more powerful,” Merlin answered, confused.

“Merlin, you must give up!” Gaius moved to stand near Merlin and looked deeply in his protégé’s eyes, frantic with worry. “For God’s sake, stop!”

“I have to try everything and save Camelot,” Merlin stated and reached out again.

The pain was so agonizing this time that Merlin didn’t even see the figure who arrived; he fell to his knees. Gaius hurried to him and held the weak body.

“Merlin…you’re a sorcerer?!” Arthur hissed, wide-eyed, a mixture of shock and anger gleaming in his blue eyes.

The young warlock couldn’t see his master properly through the bitter tears, but he addressed his – probably – last words:

“I’m so sorry, Arthur, I wish you could have found out about my magic in another way. You can’t do anything else to stop the eclipse and I hoped that solving this problem would change your mind. If the last spell doesn’t work, then I’m sorry. It was nice meeting and serving you, Sire,” Merlin whispered faintly.

Tears were flowing down on Gaius’ face as he watched Merlin extending his trembling hand and yelling the spell, using the last of his power. Arthur watched as his manservant’s eyes turned golden for a moment and Merlin gave out a shrill, heartbreaking scream, the glassy, retransformed blue eyes looking right through Arthur’s soul before closing. It seemed that the life had left the boy’s body. Arthur hastened there, kneeling beside Gaius. He was confused; he was angry at his manservant, but at the same time he was worried about him.

“Come on, cabbage head, wake up!” he shrieked hopelessly, slapping Merlin to come to his senses.

He gave up after a while and looked at Gaius: “What now?!”

“Sire, there’s no hope; the most powerful sorcerer in the entire world couldn’t save us. We are doomed,” Gaius cried and rocked Merlin’s tiny body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the magic reveal happened and I know it's not like in the series, but remember, I wrote this a year ago, after Season 4 ended. I hope you still enjoyed it.


	3. Heart of Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part is introspective, hope you enjoy it!

Arthur called for guards and ordered them to take Merlin to his room, while Gaius, still crying, went to prepare some invigorating elixir which could help his protégé. Arthur clung to one of the cold stones of the crenellation and took a deep breath. He felt weak and as an infixed habit, he looked towards the sky, a gesture which always gave him strength and hope. However, this time even the encouraging sight of the invincible Sun was being robbed from him and reminded Arthur of the severity of the problem. He felt useless and small…how was he supposed to bear to watch his people die slowly of famine, he could not imagine.

Arthur retreated to his room and ordered the guards to prohibit everyone from disturbing him until he said otherwise. He was conscious that the council and the knights were awaiting an urgent meeting, but his mind was replaying what had just happened over and over. If he had to take part in the council, he would just stare helplessly at maps and at the men who all expected him, _the king_ , to come up with a solution. There was no solution, though, and if they didn’t believe him, they could ask Gaius. _“_ _There’s no hope; the most powerful sorcerer in the entire world couldn’t save us.”_

On the other hand, Merlin’s timing was absolutely _perfect_ for such a shocking revelation. Arthur didn’t even know where to start analysing the problem; his thoughts were in a whirl. He’d known his manservant, for what, four, five years? Yet the boy had still managed to hide this information from him, even though he had been accused of witchcraft a few times, back when Uther was still alive. He, stupidly, even defended him in front of his father and everybody else! But seriously, who would have thought that the skinny, little, pale boy was a sorcerer? Where did he learn it and who was his master? Most probably it was Gaius and they must have practiced magic under his nose all these years!

Although, thinking about it, even more surprising was the moment when Gaius stated that Merlin was the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Arthur frowned and chuckled in disbelief. Were they talking about the same person? Was it the same Merlin, his awkward manservant who treated him like one of his pals from the tavern? Oh right, the tavern. Maybe Merlin didn’t lie and he didn’t actually spend so much time there, but had magic sessions with Gaius or other witches, sorcerers. Or maybe he had travelled to far places to learn lesser known spells.

The king poured himself a chalice of wine and stepped to the window. There still were small groups watching the eclipse, but most seemed to be in a terrible hurry to spend the little money they had on provisions. Soon, scoundrels would invade the markets, who, taking advantage of the general desperation, would be selling bad quality products overpriced. In vain would they punish them, but people would still buy food behind their back because the instinct to survive is the strongest in every human. Nobody wanted to die for such foolishness. Because that’s what it was: foolishness. The keepers of darkness had their revenge on innocent people who had nothing to do with the fate Uther had decided for them. However, they knew that this would hurt Arthur the most and they were right; the thought of his people cursing his father broke Arthur’s heart.

Many hours passed until Arthur emerged from his room and entered the great hall. The councillors were already arguing heatedly, but the king still noticed in the chaos that Gaius was missing. He was probably taking care of Merlin…Arthur made a sign with his hand to one of the guards and whispered a message to the physician. The guard nodded and left the hall, while the noise began reaching unbearable levels. However, everybody became silent as soon as the king started talking:

“I understand that you found a solution to the problem?”

The silence was deafening and everybody avoided eye contact with the king. Then finally, an elder man spoke up: “Yes, my lord.”

The knights roared and started fighting again with the conservative councillors. Arthur managed to silence everybody and let the elder man share his idea.

“My lord, we know that you won’t like the idea and we understand your pain, but I’m afraid this is the only way to stop the disaster,” the old man sighed and gathered courage. “I…we think that Merlin should be killed…for the sake of the kingdom, of course.”

Arthur turned red and bowed his head. The old man thought that this was a sign of the king’s readiness to hear his arguments, so he continued:

“The boy has magic and he obviously brought ill fortune on Camelot, taking advantage of your majesty’s generosity and worming his way into your trust. He is the cause of this and therefore, he should be killed. We believe that everything will turn back to normal then. One life for an entire kingdom, my lord…”

“No. Don’t even think about it. We will not slaughter a man on pure conjecture,” Arthur stated firmly.

“But he is a sorcerer, my lord! Your father would have committed him to the flames!”

“There’s no need for such thing, the boy is on the verge of death.”

Gaius stood between the doors, a dignified sadness and resignation painting his features. The lines on his face seemed to be more prominent and his whole appearance was awe-inspiring, so much that the councillors felt ashamed. Arthur dismissed them and the knights as well. He stepped to the window and watched the guards lighting the torches around the castle. The sky was black and no star shone that night; however, darkness seemed to have brought a temporary peace on the land. Arthur didn’t feel like talking, but he didn’t want to keep Gaius waiting for him, so finally, he managed to ask the burdening question:

“How’s Merlin?”

Gaius voice was blank with a tint of reproach: “I didn’t lie, my lord. I don’t think anything could cure Merlin. I am quite sure that the keepers of darkness cursed him as well.”

“Cursed?” Arthur turned and faced the old man.

“It seems so. I think the keepers of darkness sensed that he has magic and to be certain that he can’t reverse the eclipse, they made sure that with every spell he casts he’s one step closer to death.”

The king was confused: “What do you mean?”

“They used a curse which turned a part of Merlin’s heart into stone when he tried to save Camelot. I believe that as the eclipse slowly becomes complete, so will Merlin’s heart gradually petrify,” Gaius replied, his voice quivering.

Arthur had to sit down. He put his hands on his face and wished that the whole ordeal would just end.

“I assume you can’t do anything for him?” he asked the physician, already knowing the answer.

“No,” Gaius looked down, embarrassed to show his tears in front of the king. “If you’ll excuse me, your majesty, I would like to go back now…”

“Of course,” Arthur replied, absorbed in his thoughts.

Before the old men exited the great hall, he called back after him.

“Gaius? Make sure that he isn’t in pain at least,” Arthur faltered and quickly fled to his room.

* * * * *

Arthur busied himself with official papers even though a voice in his head kept telling him that most probably it was in vain. He just wanted to keep his mind occupied with something and tried to ignore the heavy silence which was making him feel uneasy. It must have been past midnight, so Arthur decided to call it a night and try to sleep for a few hours. It was very odd not to have Merlin there, helping him and chattering about whatever crossed his mind. Usually, it would annoy Arthur but he missed it now. He had to make his bed himself and had to put out the candle. He reproached himself for being whiny like a spoiled princess and turned onto his side.

_‘What if in the morning I wake up and discover that it was a joke?’_

He knew this wouldn’t happen, but he couldn’t lose the last spark of hope. _‘Maybe in the morning I will wake up to Merlin nudging me and stuffing me with cake for breakfast, telling me that he just pretended to be dying, because he didn’t know how to tell me that he’s a sorcerer.’_

A tired sigh left Arthur’s lungs. He closed his eyes and a single tear rolled down his cheek, falling on the pillow.

_‘What wouldn’t I give for it to be true.’_


	4. Acceptance

The next day was extremely busy for Arthur, to such an extent that he barely had time to breathe. First, he ordered the purchase of as much food supplies as possible and tried to shut out negative thoughts and worries from his mind. The next situation to remedy was the huge amount of people coming to Camelot in the hope of receiving food and protection there. Arthur was aware that he couldn’t provide food and shelter for everyone, but he chose not to close the gates of the city, as some councillors suggested. He thought that gesture would symbolise weakness and turning his back on his people, letting them down. He was nothing like that. He was a warrior and he would fight till death.  
  
By the time he finished everything that he’d planned for the day, the shadows of evening were falling. Arthur sat at the dinner table exhausted; his head felt heavy and he believed that if he closed his eyes, he would fall asleep immediately. He didn’t even notice when  a plate full of his favourite food was placed in front of him. Any other occasion he would have wolfed it down in a matter of minutes, but that day he felt barely capable of even existing. He only managed to gulp down two spoonfuls, but it got stuck in his gullet, so he drank the wine quickly instead. The servant stepped to the table to refill the goblet, but Arthur stopped him:  
  
“Thank you, but that was enough, Merlin.”  
  
Arthur froze. The name just slipped out of his mouth and he panicked, which made him practically run out of the dinning hall. He felt embarrassed and stupid, but he was so used to his manservant that it was natural to address to him. He tried so hard throughout the day to ignore that voice in his head which reminded him of Merlin too often. Earlier that day, around noon, he couldn’t stand it anymore and sent a guard to inquire about Merlin’s state from Gaius. The physician was now absolutely sure about the curse and confirmed that the king’s manservant was suffering from a petrified heart. The young warlock was conscious in the morning, but he was seized by pains so strong that Gaius decided to give him a sleep-inducing elixir.  
  
Arthur seemed to spend that evening the same way he did the previous day: alone with a heavy heart. Moreover, he felt guilty for not visiting Merlin. He told himself he was very busy, but he could have gone himself instead of the guard to ask about his friend’s state. Because after all, Merlin was his friend. But then again, friends are honest with each other and Merlin had been hiding the secret for years. Arthur asked himself if that changed anything between them…even if he mocked Merlin in front of everybody, his manservant was brave and saved him a couple of times. Suddenly, the king remembered that Merlin once said that he’d saved his royal backside many more times than Arthur could imagine.  
  
Well, maybe Merlin was right; with magic, he could have been able to do that from a distance. However, that didn’t mean that Merlin was a coward. Arthur had seen him fighting with a sword and although he would have never admitted it, if he were to listen to his heart, he would have knighted Merlin. The question still persisted: did the fact that Merlin had magic change their friendship? After all, Merlin was always there in the most difficult situations, he encouraged Arthur and even though his jokes were silly most of the time, he was Arthur’s source of support.  
  
That day, three-fourths of the Sun was covered by the black object. That meant that only a quarter of Merlin’s heart was intact. Arthur pummelled his pillow at the thought and a strange idea crossed his mind: Merlin’s quarter of heart held more love and joy than Arthur’s whole heart did. Bitter tears soaked his pillow that night as well.

* * * * *

  
The next morning Arthur woke up with a startle and blinked a few times, confused by the poor light filtering through his window. It was quite dark, consequently he thought that he had woken up earlier. However, as soon as he stepped to the window he realised that it wasn’t dark because it was only dawning, but because only a very small part of the Sun was uncovered, therefore only a few sunbeams were still free to illuminate Camelot. He had some weird dreams, a string of illogical and confusing images, all concentrated around Merlin.  
  
Even at night, his brain was concerned with the fate of his manservant. In his dream, Arthur saw Merlin leaving Camelot, more specifically wading in knee-deep snow. Then suddenly, he turned and waved at Arthur, smiling with his particular, broad smile, but at the same time a tear escaped from the corner of his right eye. Then Arthur was crying in his room, while Gaius told him off for expelling Merlin. Surprisingly, Uther advised him to run after his friend. However, by the time Arthur found Merlin, his friend was lying lifeless in the pure snow with his blue, glassy eyes staring at the overcast sky.  
  
Arthur washed his face and, while dressing, he made up his mind and gathered enough courage to visit Merlin for the last time. He was scared to find the boy the same way as in his dream with the eyes staring at the ceiling, deprived of their usual sparkle of life, but he knew that if he didn’t do it, he would regret it for the rest of his life, however long that might be. With the image of the almost total eclipse in his mind, Arthur trudged to Gaius and knocked on the door. The physician opened it and they looked at each other wordlessly. From what Arthur could tell, Gaius probably didn’t sleep at all the previous night and his eyes had a sad glint in them. He showed the king to Merlin’s room and then left to give Arthur some privacy.  
  
Arthur walked into his manservant’s small room and biting his lower lip, he knelt beside the bed. Merlin was indeed very pale, lying there with closed eyes. Gaius had dressed Merlin in his best clothes and put around Merlin’s neck his favourite red neckerchief. Arthur felt pangs in his heart and he didn’t want to bid farewell to his friend, to his best friend, in fact. He placed his hand on Merlin’s cold left hand and slowly whispered:  
  
“I’ve never thought that I’d be the one to stay by your deathbed…I always imagined it the other way around or maybe that we’d both be killed in battle. Perhaps the last option would have been the best, because I don’t really know what to do henceforth. I know I don’t listen to you most of the time, but only now do I realise how much you help me. You were always there and believed in me, believed that I could be a good king and gave me valuable pieces of advice. I’m sorry that I called you names, because in fact, you’re a wise man. You know, you could actually replace all those old toads in the council. Anyhow, they wanted to kill you, the fools. I hate to say this, but their wishes may be granted soon…”  
  
Arthur’s voice quivered and he wiped away the tears gathering in his eyes.  
  
“Cabbage head, I think you’d enjoy this moment if you were awake:  you could make fun of me for crying, tease me about my sensitive side. I’ve never told anyone this, but I wish I were a bit like you: open, friendly and able to express my feelings. You can be a chatterbox sometimes, so that’s why I have no idea how you kept your magic secret all these years. I must say I’m impressed, Merlin. I am still mad at you for not telling me, but I can understand; it’s probably better that you didn’t reveal it while my father was still alive. But afterwards…it pains me greatly to think that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me your secret.”  
  
By this time, Arthur broke down and he didn’t try to hide his tears. Both his hands grasped Merlin’s hand tighter and he leaned his head against his manservant’s shoulder.  
  
“You’ve been a much better friend to me than I to you. I’m so sorry, I was just blinded by conventions; I thought we couldn’t be friends because of the class difference between us. I thought I was superior to you, but the truth is you’re nobler. You’re a better man than I am, Merlin. If I could, I’d do anything to save you…”  
  
Arthur looked out the window and saw that the Sun was almost covered. He got up and leaned above Merlin, inspecting his face. A tear rolled down from his eyes and fell on Merlin’s pale face, Arthur wiping it away gently. He leaned closer until his lips touched Merlin’s and while pressing the kiss, he remembered the wonderful moments he spent beside Merlin. Then he just pressed his forehead to the young warlock’s and murmured: “I accept your gift, Merlin, and I will allow the use of magic from now. You’ll be respected as a big hero of Camelot if we survive the eclipse.” He paused to sigh, then added: “May your afterlife be peaceful!”  
  
Arthur kissed Merlin’s forehead and suddenly, he felt something warm on his left cheek. He turned to see through the window the Sun shining brilliantly. It was so bright that he had to shield his eyes. Gasping, he looked back at Merlin and as the sunbeams covered the pale boy, something golden gleamed where Merlin’s heart was supposed to be.  
  
A smile was playing on Merlin’s lips. He opened his eyes, got up and looked at Arthur mischievously: “Are you really going to declare me a hero?”  
  
Arthur just hugged Merlin as an answer which made the warlock smile even more.  
“What happened? I thought you were going to die,” Arthur whispered, touched.  
  
“I suppose that by accepting magic you broke the spell the keepers of darkness cast on Camelot. You saved my life as well,” Merlin replied, caressing Arthur’s hair.  
  
Then he patted Arthur on the back: “Come on, you have an announcement to make!”  
  
“What announcement? Isn’t it a bit soon?” Arthur asked confusedly and blushed.  
  
“Well, you know…what you said about allowing magic,” Merlin explained. “Wait, what did you think about?”  
  
“I, no, I didn’t think of anything, why do you say that…” Arthur stuttered.  
  
Merlin lolled his head to the right and gave Arthur a “you don’t fool me” look.  
  
“Right. I thought you meant an announcement about us,” Arthur whispered and looked away.  
  
“Oh…” Merlin replied as he realised what Arthur implied. He grinned broadly and pecked his king before replying: “I think one announcement a day is enough. You don’t want to overwhelm your people, do you?”  
  
They smiled at each other before exiting the room, warm sunshine surrounding them and the perfume of a new era spreading in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the story! Thank you for reading it. :)


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